Events Calendar

Throughout the watershed a variety of experiences and FieldSTEM™ events for students and teachers are available. In NE Washington we offer The River Mile’s Natural Resource Career Skills Day, Student Science Symposium, Birdfest (virtual) and the Bald Eagle Festival. If you are not close to these events you might look around your local watershed for similar activities that support your project.


Upcoming Events

Using Free ArcGIS Online to Collect, Analyze, and Share Data
May 31, 2023
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Pacific Time

More Information and Registration

The River Mile Crayfish Conference
June 1, 2023
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Pacific Time

More Information and Registration


Past Events

August 16, 2022
9:00 AM to 4:00 pm Pacific Time

Investigating Ice Age Floods
Inquiry & Discovery of the National Geologic Trail & Beyond

Hybrid Educators’ Workshop, Spokane WA and Online

Join educators from around the region as we explore best practices for engaging students in learning about the Northwest Fur Trade that was so pivotal in the history of the region. It supports the new Northwest Fur Trade: Cultures, Commerce, and Change curriculum, created by Rick Reynolds, M.S.Ed., Founder of Engaging Every Student and Peter Moran, in collaboration with tribal experts, historians, educators, and other partners.

August 17, 2022
9:00 AM to 4:00 pm Pacific Time

The Northwest Fur Trade: Cultures, Commerce and Trade

Hybrid Educators’ Workshop, Spokane WA and Online

Join educators from around the region as we explore best practices for engaging students in learning about the Northwest Fur Trade that was so pivotal in the history of the region. It supports the new Northwest Fur Trade: Cultures, Commerce, and Change curriculum, created by Rick Reynolds, M.S.Ed., Founder of Engaging Every Student and Peter Moran, in collaboration with tribal experts, historians, educators, and other partners.

August 18, 2022
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Pacific Time

Inquiry, Exploration and Service Learning in the Sagebrush Ecosystem

Hybrid Educators’ Workshop, Spokane WA and Online

Join Rick Reynolds, veteran educator and author of Inquiry, Exploration, and Service Learning in the Sagebrush Ecosystem and Janice Elvidge from the National Park Service and The River Mile Network as we explore a variety of resources from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Audubon, BLM, and other partners. Earn PDUs while exploring hands-on NGSS/STEAM activities in beautiful Spokane, WA. Help us inspire students to think critically about sagebrush ecosystems and ways to protect them and their fascinating species!

August 19, 2022
9:00 AM to 3:30 pm Pacific Time

Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems

Hybrid Educators’ Workshop, Spokane WA and Online

Learn to engage grade 2-12 students in fascinating crayfish studies in this hands-on STEAM workshop. Rick Reynolds, veteran educator and author of “Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems,” will team up with other partners from The River Mile Network to step you through student activities including scientific investigations in your local watershed. Gain confidence to participate with The River Mile’s Crayfish Study to support important research by scientists and wildlife managers.in educators from around the region as we explore best practices for engaging students in learning about the Northwest Fur Trade that was so pivotal in the history of the region. It supports the new Northwest Fur Trade: Cultures, Commerce, and Change curriculum, created by Rick Reynolds, M.S.Ed., Founder of Engaging Every Student and Peter Moran, in collaboration with tribal experts, historians, educators, and other partners.

May 26 and June 2, 2022
3:00 to 6:00 pm Pacific Time

Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems Science Educators Virtual Live Training

Learn to engage grade 2-12 students in fascinating crayfish studies in this hands-on STEAM workshop. Rick Reynolds, veteran educator and author of Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems, will team up with other partners from The River Mile Network to step you through student activities including scientific investigations in your local watershed. Gain confidence to participate with The River Mile’s Crayfish Study to support important research by scientists and wildlife managers.

May 26, 2022
7:15 to 9:30 am Pacific Time

The Future of Water Conservation – H2O Breakfast
CenterPlace Regional Event Center

Since 1988, the City of Flagstaff’s Water Conservation Program has helped customers reduce their water use by 50%. Tamara will share Flagstaff’s exceptional water conservation journey, including what has worked, selecting new investments, measuring success, and garnering community support.

April 27, 2022
3:30 to 4:30pm Pacific Time

Community Virtual Gathering ~ Qapqápnim Wéele / Grande Ronde Community Science Project

Kayla Morinaga, Grande Ronde Model Watershed and Carrie Caselton Lowe, RedTwig Education

Kayla Morinaga from the Grande Ronde Model Watershed and Carrie Caselton Lowe from RedTwig Education, both from La Grande, Oregon, will present about the Qapqápnim Wéele / Grande Ronde Community Science Project and how they are incorporating The Crayfish Study into their work. The Qapqápnim Wéele / Grande Ronde Community Science Project is a participant driven science research program that engages youth in monitoring the Grande Ronde watershed and integrates Indigenous ways of knowing with Western science practices.

February 23, 2022
3:30 to 4:30pm Pacific Time

Community Virtual Gathering ~ Invasive Crayfish Discoveries Around the Columbia River Watershed

Jamie Morton, Science Teacher, Lewiston High School and other members of The River Mile

Learn about exciting Crayfish Study discoveries happening around the Northwest. For instance, Jamie Morton will discuss her classes’ discovery of invasive red swamp crayfish near the Snake River in Lewiston, Idaho. This was the first known discovery of the species in the state, which was confirmed by DNA analysis from Dr. Eric Larson, who supervises the Study. Ms. Morton, Dr. Larson, Dr. Jim Ekins, and other members of The River Mile network are currently working on a research publication about the discovery and its implications.

February 2 and 10, 2022
3:30 to 6:00pm Pacific Time

Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems Science Educators Virtual Live Training

Learn to engage grade 2-12 students in fascinating crayfish studies in this hands-on STEAM workshop. Rick Reynolds, veteran educator and author of Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems, will team up with other partners from The River Mile Network to step you through student activities including scientific investigations in your local watershed. Gain confidence to participate with The River Mile’s Crayfish Study to support important research by scientists and wildlife managers.

Wednesday December 15, 2021
3:30 to 4:30pm Pacific Time

Community Virtual Gathering ~  How’s My Waterway: Exploring Your Local Waters

Kiki Schneider, IT Specialist at Environmental Protection Agency

This session will focus on EPA’s newest water data tool called How’s My Waterway. This user-friendly app makes complex water data easily accessible to anyone. We encourage educators, the public and individuals working in the water sector to learn HMW so they can use it as a tool to help teach/assess water quality, restoration and environmental stewardship and make science based decisions.

Thursday December 9, 2021
9:00 to 3:00pm Pacific Time

Washington Invasive Species Council

The agenda for this meeting is now available online.

Please note that this is an online meeting and you are encouraged to register in advance. Registration is available on Zoom. When registering, it is not necessary to disclose your name unless you plan to testify. Instead, you can simply register as “anonymous”

Testimony, correspondence and other questions about the council materials should be directed to Julia McNamara, Board Liaison, at julia.mcnamara@rco.wa.gov.

Thursday December 9, 2021
9:00 to 3:00pm Pacific Time

Washington Invasive Species Council

Join the Esri Education team as they explore extended projects for students of all ages. They will share available tools, apps, strategies and resources to help you plan projects in your school or classroom.

Wednesday November 17-18, 2021
9:00am Pacific Time

Upper Columbia/Okanagan River 2021: “One River, Ethics Matter”

Okanagan Nation Alliance, University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus

The 8th annual “One River, Ethics Matter” conference will focus on the Indigenous-led work of restoring ntytyix (salmon) to the Okanagan River and the Upper Columbia. This gathering takes place as globalization, the COVID pandemic, and the climate crisis make the interconnectedness of all our actions and our relations ever-more evident. This year’s conference focuses on providing salmon and hope for our common future.

Wednesday November 17, 2021
3:30 to 4:30pm Pacific Time

Community Virtual Gathering ~ Agonistic Behavior Between the Native Pilose and Non-Native Virile Crayfishes

Doreen Cabrera, PhD Candidate at Brigham Young University

Pilose crayfish (Pacifastacus gambelii) are endemic to the western United States, however, this little-known species is facing threats by the non-native virile crayfish (Faxonius virilis). We sought to study the competitive interaction between these crayfish to understand whether virile crayfish have an aggressive advantage over pilose crayfish and thus leading to their displacement. The program will conclude with a Q&A.

Wednesday October 27, 2021
3:30 to 4:30pm Pacific Time

Community Virtual Gathering ~ Introduction to The River Mile Network

Janice Elvidge, Executive Director & Founder of The River Mile Network

October 26-27, 2021

PNW Citizen & Community Science Summit –  Virtual

Western Invasives Network and Washington Invasive Species Council

The Summit will connect program managers & citizens who are looking for ways to build capacity or participate in citizen science.

The overall objective of the summit is to connect citizen science practitioners and managers with each other, as well as the public, for the purpose of creating partnerships and synergies between projects. By working together, we will be more effective than working alone.

October 12-15, 2021

North American Association for Environmental Education ~ 50th Anniversary Conference (virtual)

The conference will celebrate the power of connection and the profound, restorative role of the natural world in our lives. Together, we’ll reflect on all we’ve learned about the power of environmental education to bring people of all backgrounds and disciplines together to solve our most pressing problems and to create more just and sustainable communities.

Wednesday October 6, 2021
4:30-5:30pm

Partners in Science: Experience a Career Changing Opportunity — and Get Paid to do it!

When was the last time you had a professional development experience that was specifically designed with the science teacher in mind? A professional development opportunity where you can see yourself as a scientist and an integral part of a scientific community? Where you get to experience the processes of science that we try to provide for our students?

Wednesday September 29, 2021
2-3pm Eastern Time

Water Research Webinar on Valuing Aquatic Ecosystem Health at a National Scale

Modeling Biological Indicators Across Space and Time

EPA estimates the benefits of preserving aquatic resources using the water quality index (WQI). The WQI focuses on metrics related to human use, such as recreation, but fails to fully capture aspects important to nonuse values of aquatic ecosystems, such as existence values. Stated preference surveys can quantify the nonuse values of streams and lakes but require an appropriate index of biological health to be able to measure and compare biological condition.